The invention relates to a filter element for end face incident flow in accordance with the species of claim 1. The invention further relates to a filter in which the described filter element is installed and to a method for producing a filter element of the foregoing type.
The passenger compartment filters currently used to adsorb harmful gases are flat filter elements consisting of highly porous plastic foams with activated carbon bonded thereto or several superimposed bonded activated carbon media. Also used are flat filter elements pleated in zigzag fashion with an activated carbon layer bonded to the filter medium.
Published European patent application no. EP 383,236 discloses a filter device with a flat carrier that is pleated in zigzag fashion. The flat carrier is gas permeable, since the gaseous medium to be filtered must penetrate the flat carrier. The adsorbent particles must be permanently bonded to the carrier material using a special process.
Published German patent application no. DE 44 32 339 discloses a passenger compartment filter with plate-shaped carrier layers assembled into a cuboid, such that the gas stream does not penetrate the carrier layers but only sweeps past them. This has the advantage that only a slight pressure loss occurs between the inflow and the discharge side. Here, too, however, the drawback is the need for a permanent bond between the carrier material and the adsorbent particles and the lack of a means to filter solid particles out of the gas stream. A further drawback in both solutions is that they require a lot of space, which is limited especially in the air supply to the passenger compartment of motor vehicles.